ruined for beaches

This time last year I was travelling around Southeast Asia with the Patient Photographer and one of my oldest friends, Nicola (who you might remember from this post). The beaches in Laos, Cambodia and Thailand have spoiled me for all other beaches forever. I just can't seem to muster the necessary enthusiasm for the beaches of Wellington anymore. I am envious of anyone out there who is currently travelling with the people they love. When I travel, the days seem to go too fast. When all I want is for time to slow to a crawl so I can experience everything - the weather, the tastes, the people, the frequent travel annoyances of long airport waits coupled with the exhilaration of stepping foot in a place you have never been before.

♥ Dress from BCBG Max Azria ♥ Pearl headband form Diva ♥ Shoes are thrifted ♥ Sunglasses from Portmans ♥ Pearl necklace from some floating village in Thailand

"If our lives are dominated by a search for happiness, then perhaps few activities reveal as much about the dynamics of this quest...than our travels. They express...an understanding of what life might be about, outside the constraints of work and the struggle for survival...We are inundated with advice on where to travel to; we hear little of why and how we should go" Alain de Botton, The Art of Travel (2002).

Southeast Asia December 2007-January 2008